Bangkok

Written: May 28, 2003
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Just a quick entry to say what I've been up to the last couple of weeks.

I had not done much sightseeing in Bangkok so I went to visit a couple of the most famous Wats in the city. I went first to Wat Mahathat. It took me a while to find my way inside it. I walked right around it before finding that the entrance was where I had started from.

The inner courtyard was encircled by golden Buddha statues as shown in the photo. The temple itself did not appear to be open. I had a talk with the people at the meditation centre. The Wat has thrice daily meditations at which all are welcome, both Thai and foreigners. You can also stay at the Wat to practice, however they prefer it if people can stay a while. Since my time was limited this was not an option for me.

I proceeded on foot to Wat Po probably the largest and most famous Wat in Bangkok after the Royal Palace. It was an impressive place as can be seen from the photos. The reclining Buddha was enormous. The largest I have seen in Thailand. The tall spires that can be seen were all covered in ceramic tiles. They seemed to me very futuristic and yet very ancient, a kind of fantasy world.

Wat Po is also home to a famous massage school. It was more expensive than your average place but I thought I would give it a try. After a few days boiling in Bangkok I felt like relaxing. I had a one hour session and I thought it was quite a hard massage, bordering on painful in fact. I kind of thought I would grin and bear it although eventually I did say go easy when the masseur started on my legs again. Maybe I feel it more because I'm thin. Later on I felt a lot better and that evening and the following day felt very relaxed.

I had to stay longer in Bangkok than I expected as I had to buy a new plane ticket to Japan. My existing ticket has expired but I will be able to get a refund on it when I get home.

My next port of call was Ayutthaya an hour and a half journey North of Bangkok. Ayutthaya was the site of the capital of the Thai kingdom around the 14th-17th centuries, prior to that the capital was in Sukhothai. Ayutthaya was a large and impressive city containing many Wats. Its courts were visited by many foreigners from Europe who wrote of its splendour and riches. The word Farang, which means foreigner of European descent originated from this period.

Ayutthaya was a Buddhist kingdom as can very easily be seen by visiting any of the remains of the temples in the city. There are many Buddha statues at all of the temples. The religious faith of this people must have been very strong. The modern city of Ayutthaya is contained within an circular area enclosed by rivers and canals. Some of the temples are inside this central area. Some are outside it. Unfortunately I had no space on my digital camera to take any pictures.

Many of the temples had stone Buddha statues around the edge of the outer walls. Almost all of the statues had no heads. In its prime the temples must have been very impressive and atmospheric places.

I spent a couple of nights in Ayutthaya then headed back to Bangkok. I had about a week left and wasn't sure where to go next. I had considered Kao Yai national park but decided there would be many mosquitoes there at this time. I had wanted to continue meditation practice at a monastery somewhere but after doing the research they were either too far away, had too strict a regime or required lengthy stays.

I decided instead to go to Koh Chang, an island on the East gulf coast of Thailand, near Cambodia. The journey took six hours by minivan followed by a one hour boat journey. I have spent the last five days there and had a very relaxing time.

Most of the time I spent in a hammock in front of my hut on the beach. The weather was perfect for me. A fair bit of cloud and a good breeze so it was not too hot. I stayed at a place called Tree House. The restaurant there was very chilled. Cushions on the floor, low tables, hammocks, nice music, a bit of Jazz, that kind of thing. The food was very good too.

It was my last opportunity on this trip to chill out before I head back to very different experiences. So I made the most of it. About as far as I ventured each day was a ten minute walk to the main road to eat lunch. I had the restaurant to myself. It’s quiet on Koh Chang at this time of year. Coming up to the rainy season, there are still visitors but many fewer than the number of accommodation places. The tourists are therefore spread very thinly.

There was usually a strong wind blowing off the sea. This created large breakers on the beach. I stayed on Lonely Beach which is the furthest South of the beaches on the Island and the least developed, so far. The Island was probably not as visually stunning as some other islands but it was a very relaxing place to be.

And now I'm back in Bangkok. Only a couple more days here doing my shopping, then I leave Thailand for Japan. Two more weeks there and then its home to England. I think I will miss Thailand when I'm gone, like I miss India, which I'm sure I will visit again. My thoughts are turning towards home now, however I expect Japan will be so different that it will keep me busy.

Even though this report is short, I hope you enjoy it.

Best Wishes

Simon